The present invention relates to an aircraft sized and configured to transport a payload container, and more specifically to a Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) unmanned air vehicle (UAV) that is aerodynamically and structurally designed around a standardized container such as a Joint Modular Intermodal Container (JMIC) to facilitate autonomous pickup, transport, and drop-off of the container.
Future military forces require enhanced vertical lift capabilities in a compact package to transport payloads into hostile environments.
Internal load operations provide secure aerodynamic carriage of payloads. However, as advantageous as internal load operations may be, such operations may be relatively time consuming and complicated to execute. One such complication may be the relatively small clearances associated with onloading and offloading cargo over a cargo ramp and into the aircraft internal cargo bay. Internal load operations typically require personnel to operate as spotters who communicate with vehicle drivers or ground based equipment operators such as forklift drivers to facilitate position of cargo within the aircraft cargo bay.
External load operations provide a rapid procedure to load, transport, and unload cargo. One or more lines having cargo hooks at an end thereof, or a set of slings, are used to attach the cargo to the aircraft for transportation. However, as advantageous as external operations may be, external operations may also be relatively complicated and time consuming to execute. One such complication is cargo hook positioning. The process of attaching and detaching the cargo hooks to a load generally requires an aircrew member to visually observe the payload and direct a pilot via an intercom system. Although effective, this process may be relatively time consuming and may be hampered by the time lag between communication of aircraft current position and pilot reaction.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft that is aerodynamically and structurally designed around a standardized container to facilitate transport thereof.